


Cant we just talk?

by gh0stygoo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Hurt Lance (Voltron), Keith has anger issues, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance gets the flu for a little, M/M, Polyamory, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Sickfic, shiro is trying his best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:47:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26129020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gh0stygoo/pseuds/gh0stygoo
Summary: Lance had been with Keith and Shiro for almost a year and while he and Keith didnt get along all the time, he would say things were going pretty well. Of course relationships in general were hard, add in an extra person and it gets that much more complicated. After overhearing a conversation between Keith and Shiro, Lance is left feeling confused and hurt, couple that with catching the flu and you have the perfect mixture of shit that would leave the poor guy in a sorry state. Shiro tries his best- Keith has issues he needs to work out- and Lance is just a mess.(might be some smut later if I can write it lol but not for a while, Ill change the rating if there is ofc)
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Lance/Shiro (Voltron), established Keith/Lance/Shiro
Comments: 98
Kudos: 571





	1. How it started

Lance Mcclain was not having the best day. It was raining cats and dogs outside, he needed to do his laundry, the new trainee kept dropping plates, and his work kept him over half an hour. The only thing that served to give him hope was seeing his boyfriends for their traditional, Friday, movie night. He had planned to go back to his apartment and grab a change of clothes so he wouldn't have to ask them to borrow some clothes, or sit on their stupidly nice couch with his wet clothes. That wasn't going to happen, obviously, and the twenty minute walk to their apartment (because he chose to buy himself some new facial products instead of saving for bus fare- totally worth it by the way) was even worse because of the ice cold rain. 

The walk left him soaked through to his underwear, he cursed himself for not owning a damn umbrella because really Mcclain, it only cost $5 at any corner shop- but that was beside the point. He had made it up the steps to the very nice apartments that his boyfriends owned and only gotten three pitying looks from other tenants. He was once again reminded of just how little he made as the pristine white door stared him down. 

Compared to him they were much better off, Shiro was a lawyer and Keith was a well known mechanic, both made at least triple what Lance made in a year, in a third of the time. He didn't mind though, it was kinda hot having such capable guys to call his boyfriends. However, Lance dreaded the day they asked where he lived or if he would move in with them. The thought of those bills… a shiver ran down his spine. He shook it off, wanting to hurry up and get inside to where it was warm and more importantly- dry. 

Seeing as the living room was empty and the smell of popcorn had yet to fill the whole apartment, he was definitely early, but he figured it might be a pleasant surprise since it had been a while since the last time he came over, his appearance not with-standing. He shut the door behind him gently, slipping off his soaked shoes to minimize any water damage and wandered into the living room. He was a moment away from making his presence known with a cheeky little greeting, when he heard a very familiar sound seeming to come from the bedroom. It was Keith, but not just Keith- it was a very aroused Keith and assumedly he was in bed with Shiro, that had Lance a little... surprised. Although maybe he shouldnt be, Keith and Shiro lived together, of course they had sex without him, they had been together way before he joined in anyways, but seriously, he was coming over in like half an hour- they couldn't have just waited? Whatever, sex admittedly wasn't on the forefront of his mind at the moment. As he got a bit closer, just for curiosities sake, he heard speaking of the not sexy variety.

He strained to listen a little more, Keith was speaking very lowly- he moved a little closer- and then he heard it. 

“Come on Shiro- we don't have to wait for him. Honestly I don't know if I want to do movie night tonight anyways. He’s always so needy on days like this. It's annoying.”

“Come on yourself, we cant do that to him, we already planned this and he hasn't been over in two weeks because of your ‘busy schedule’.” Lance had the image of Shiro doing air quotes in his head, and as cute as it was it left him wondering- had Keith been lying to him about being busy? That was a dick move- “He's coming over soon and-”

“And he's going to be soaking wet, begging us to dote on him because he's tired and had to walk all the way here in pouring the rain.” Keith said that part in a mocking tone that had Lance’s heart clenching in his chest. 

Yeah- okay, sometimes he was a little too needy- and he and keith didn't get along all the time- but he hadn’t thought that Keith hated it this much, that he would talk about it behind his back. And Shiro, well,l he was loyal as hell but he couldn't help wondering if maybe the guy was just too nice to put him down.  
Still, he waited with baited breath for Shiro to respond- to say something else to defend him, please just say something- only there was no response,and that one hit hard.

Lance felt his stomach drop and everything lurched for a moment as his little paradise felt like it was being pulled from him. He had thought they were doing fine, they always talked about how much they missed seeing him- how they would go on trips together soon and Lance was honestly thinking that Shiro was going to ask him to move in soon. Was Keith just going along with it and he had had enough? Of course Shiro would choose Keith over Lance everytime- they had been together originally- he was just in the way. Dammit- 

He didn't want them to know he was there, he was mortified of what they would say to him- he couldn't deal with a potential breakup conversation today, with Keith’s apathetic stare as Shiro gently broke the news to him. He had just wanted to watch a damn movie- 

He quickly slipped his shoes on and ran out shutting the door quietly like he could pretend this never happened and made a break down the street to his apartment, ignoring the soft rumble of thunder that followed him in the crashing rain.

Dammit….

His apartment stood dark and dank against the grey sky, falling apart at the seams. Lance struggled momentarily with the lock but he had long grown accustomed to the stickiness of the shoddy lock- couldn't complain though, at least it actually locked now. He made it in about two feet before collapsing to his knees on the floor as a choked sob finally escaped his throat which had been constricting him since those painful words escaped his supposed to be boyfriends lips, it felt like they were echoing in his head over and over again. He didn't know how long he had been kneeling there when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He inhaled shakily and pulled it out, noticing that it was Shiro calling him. ‘Probably to break up with your raggedy ass.’ came the small voice from the back of his mind. He choked on another sob and set the phone down, numbly watching it vibrate on the floor before it finally stopped. He barely noticed that Shiro had sent a message to their group chat a minute later asking if he was still coming, or if he was running late, and one more five minutes later to him personally to please respond when he got the chance.

He picked up the phone and stared at the message, swallowing the lump in his throat he opened the text. His thumbs hesitated, drifting over the keyboard aimlessly as he tried to think of what to tell him. Shiro shouldn't have to worry over him- he was better than that- Lance should give him some peace of mind...

He locked his phone, he needed to get out of these wet clothes. 

He left his phone on the floor and stripped down to his underwear. He had already left himself in the cold for too long. He had to come back from this- as much as it fucking hurt to know that Keith hadn't liked him like Lance had liked- and probably loved him which was an even more painful thing to figure out. The idea that he would have to move on drifted in from somewhere- there was shit he had to do, he didn't have time to sulk- there were other fish in the sea… but none of them were going to be as sweet and caring as Shiro and as hot and fun as Keith. God he was fucked.

His hands were still shaking and his chest still hurt. If he thought about it anymore he would just spiral into a pit of self pity- and he was too damn tired for that. He flopped onto his bed and pulled his covers around him in a protective cocoon. A few more tears slipped down his cheeks and he bit his lip until it drew blood, forcing himself to fall asleep, maybe when he woke up this pressure would be gone. 

He would be fine...absolutely fine.


	2. The Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets the sick

When he woke up the next morning everything felt...bad. His stomach was turning and his head was pounding and all it took was opening his eyes to remember the events from last night. He groaned, his stomach lurched and he found himself dashing to his bathroom and crashing on his knees, his stomach emptying whatever was still in it. He whimpered softly, his mouth tasted gross and his throat burned. He couldn't get sick- he had work… Lance stayed there for a few more moments before gathering himself up and rinsing his mouth out. It was nasty and he still felt incredibly weak, but he had to power through. He couldn't afford to miss work.

He forced himself into the shower and got ready, thankfully his clothes had dried from the other night, although they smelled like rain and faintly like mildew. His nose wrinkled and his stomach threatened to lurch again, but Lance just shoved on the clothes and sprayed them with some cologne to cover the smell. He glanced around for his phone, finding it where he left it in the entryway. Thankfully he still had half battery along with a few more calls from Shiro and even one from Keith asking where the fuck he was and that he was worrying Shiro. Lance tutted and shoved his phone in his pocket. Yeah he had worried shiro. Just Shiro. It shouldn't have surprised him that Keith wouldn't even feign being worried about him. It took everything in him not to respond snarkily, something along the lines of ‘you got what you wanted, I hope you enjoyed your night alone with Shiro.’. It was tempting, but what was the point? Keith didn't give a damn either way, and now he could have his precious Shiro all to himself. Despite his anger Lance could feel the sadness starting to eat away at him from the inside. It took everything in him to keep the angry fire in him burning. At least angry he could still work.

With that thought he tugged on the old clothes and his still damp shoes and made his way to work, it was still overcast, but at least the sky was holding it in this morning.

Of course work itself was a whole other animal- he made it two hours into his shift before his stomach started turning again and exhaustion washed over him, he also felt unbearably hot. He tried to push through it, but when the room started turning- the poor pastries he had just pulled out of the oven were now on the floor and dammit all that his boss just happened to be coming into the room. 

Now, Lance was pretty good at his job, he very rarely made mistakes so it didn't take long for Mr. Coran to figure out that all was not well with his employee.   
“Are you doing quite alright m’boy?” Came the thick accent. Lance couldn't help but notice how muddled it was in his head. 

“Yeah, I think I just stayed out in the rain too long, I should be fine, sorry about the spill, I'll clean it up-” He lurched forward as he tried to move towards the broom, only barely stopping from face planting into the tile by his boss catching him.   
Coran pressed a hand to Lance’s forehead and tutted, “You’re absolutely boiling- you need to take care of yourself Lance, you cant work like this.” he set Lance straight, leaving a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

“But- I need to work-”

“Nonsense, you need to take care of yourself. I must insist you take time off to take care of this. Hunk will take you home.” 

The ginger man was quick to send him home with Hunk who had been trying to get him to go home all day. Of course neither of them would listen to Lance’s very valid reasons so Hunk basically manhandled him out of the store- in his gentle hunk-like way.

He practically carried him all the way back to his apartment.

“Hunk, my buddy, you are my best friend- and I just wanted to say...if I-”

“Lance- please don't start getting all dramatic on me, you've got me way too worried about this, and you need to save your energy. Im going to make you something hot to eat so please just relax.”

Lance snorted and flopped on his shitty couch in his even shittier apartment, god being sick just made everything miserable- although it was already a pretty shitty apartment...whatever. “Aw don't worry bud, I'm not that sick.”

“You're running a fever, I don't know how high it is and I'm willing to bet you don't have a way to check, but you are that sick. You’re complexion is the worst right now and the Lance I know would never go out looking like that.” Hunk huffed from the kitchen, looking at the meager pantry that was Lance Mcclain’s and held in another sigh. At least he had some cans of chicken noodle soup, he could make due. “I'll make you some of mom’s soup and bring it by in a few days,for now, I hope you don’t mind mister generic soup.”

Lance perked up a little at that, “Oh your mom’s feel better soup is the best- maybe I should get sick more often if it means I can get some of that.” he chuckled softly although it was beginning to hurt to do so. His stomach was growling angrily but after that morning, Lance was a little weary about filling it, throwing up wasn't exactly his favorite pastime. 

Hunk simply shook his head, although he was smiling a little despite his worry, “Buddy you know you can come to me if you ever need help right? Maybe we should go back to being roommates? That way you don't have to spend so much on…” he waved a wooden spoon around, “this.” 

It was certainly a tempting offer, he had thought about it before. However there was a reason he had moved out the first time and he didn't want to push anyone else away with his neediness. “Nah dude, I don't want to impede on you and Shay, you guys are like two steps from getting married.” he leaned back and grinned lazily. He was so proud of his best friend, he already had the ring picked out and everything. 

Hunk frowned and pulled the pot from the stove, pouring some into a mug, because Lance didn't have any clean bowls for some reason. He quickly took it over to his sick friend and passed it over. “But Lance- you’re basically my brother, I want to make sure you’re taken care of and Shay loves you! You know that.” 

Lance happily held the steamy mug in his hands and just looked at it for a moment. “ I know, but I don't want to be in your way, I'm fine here, really. If I need help I'll just call Veronica.” he leaned into the wall that was his friend’s shoulder and sighed contently. 

“Speaking of- I called her. She said she would stop by tomorrow to check on you since I have to work all day tomorrow.”

Lance groaned and tucked his head further into his shoulder, “dude, she’s totally going to mom out on me- she’s even worse than my own mama and you know how hard that is to accomplish.”

“Yeah but you sure as heck wouldn't have called and I don't need you dying on me. You could barely walk in a straight line much less cook for yourself, what if you get even worse tomorrow? What if you have pneumonia or you start throwing up all over yourself with no one to help you?” Hunk fretted. 

“Ai, you worry too much- I swear on my mama’s life that I will be fine- especially since I’ll have mama 2.0 here tomorrow...” 

“Speaking of people looking out for you…” Hunk started and Lance felt his heart sink a little, he knew where this was going. “Why don't you get your boyfriends to help you?” 

“ah...I don't want to bother them.” Lance replied weakly and suddenly found his mug of soup very interesting. The cubes of chicken were certainly unappetizing weren’t they? “They're busy guys you know?”

“They shouldn't be too busy for their boyfriend.” Hunk furrowed his brow a little and looked at Lance suspiciously, “What happened Lance?”

“Nothing- nothing, they really are just very busy. I don't want to bother them with something like this and their jobs are much less lenient than mine, they cant afford to get sick.” he tried, taking a sip of the soup and finding it majorly tasteless, however the warm liquid felt amazing on the back of his throat. 

“Thats bull! Have you even told them you’re sick? Knowing you probably not.” Hunk huffed, “But I also know that you're hiding something from me.” 

Lance sat up a bit straighter and raised his hand, “Buddy, I promise you nothing is wrong, don't worry yourself over it. I always come back from this kind of thing quick, give me like two days and I'll be right as rain.” he put his hand down and offered a lazy grin. 

Hunk watched him a moment longer before sighing heavily, “But I think you should at least tell them and let them decide for themselves. You need to be more willing to accept people’s help- it's not healthy to push people away..” He admonished and fixed Lance with that puppy dog look that always made Lance feel oh so guilty. 

Lance released a sigh of his own and nodded, “Alright you win, I'll let them know. You should get out of here though, I'm sure Coran is drowning over at the restaurant without two of his best workers.” 

The big man seemed to pause at that, “yeah- alright, just make sure you take care of yourself and if you need anything please call me- you know how much I worry.”

“Haha, yeah too much. It's appreciated though. Love ya buddy.” Lance chuckled and gave his friend a quick pat on the shoulder. 

“Yeah yeah, alright, get some rest Lance.” 

He was gone within the next minute and Lance found himself alone in the quiet with his thoughts once again. Damn he was weak… couldn't even properly take care of himself. 

Keith’s comments were taking a toll on him, he was too clingy, asked for too much- and maybe he had. Lance was being too much for them and if that didn't change he might lose them forever- he just needed to change- although part of him wondered if he was actually too clingy or maybe Keith was just being a dick. Not entirely outside of possibility. 

For now Lance figured he should at least send a text to let them know he wouldn't be around for a while. Part of him thought maybe getting sick was a good thing, this way he could be miserable all he wanted and just blame it on feeling physically like shit. 

He rooted around in his pockets for his cell phone, pulling it out only to find it dead. Right- he hadn't been able to charge it this morning. Lance groaned softly and dragged himself back to his bedroom, flopping weakly on the bed, really being sick sucked ass, doing anything just felt like shit.

He plugged it in and just waited for a bit, laying back in his bed and shutting his eyes. He was exhausted by the thought of what would be waiting for him, or potentially not waiting for him. Needless to say he was also physically exhausted and ended up asleep before the phone even turned on, lit up with unread messages and missed calls, something he would get the joy of dealing with in the morning.


	3. bed rest and soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance deals with the pain of being sick with the help of his sister

Lance was awoken the next morning by the grating sound of his phone going off- amazing that it thanked him for bringing it back to life with his obnoxious ringtone- granted he was the one who chose the blaring alarm.. 

With a groan he snatched his phone and peeked at the caller ID, his heart sunk a little. He was oh so hopeful that she wouldn't come. His thumb hovered over the end call button but that would have just gotten his sick ass absolutely shredded (and not in the fun way) so he picked up. His voice sounded similar to that of garbage disposal.  
“Hey V...whats up?” he managed, his throat was the fucking sahara dessert- god he needed a drink, too bad his body was plotting against him huh? Wow being sick sucked. 

“Wow, you actually sound terrible, and here I was thinking that Hunk might be exaggerating.” came the response, “Open the door hermano, I brought soup.”

Lance chuckled dryly, “Sorry I don't think I can- uh- door key’s under the mat, I literally cannot stand.” 

A sigh crackled through the other side of the phone, “Normally I would think you’re just being dramatic, but you actually have me pretty worried too. Alright hold on, I’m hanging up, be right there.” 

The phone call cut off then and Lance scoffed softly, couldn't even say goodbye? Wow what about phone manners? He pushed himself up against the wall and listened as his sister unlocked his apartment, struggling slightly with the lock and made her presence known.

“Damn your apartment looks worse than last time I was here, not even considering the bedside table covered in tissues.” Came a voice in the front room before it made its way to his room. “And you’re not looking too hot either.” she added.

“Well you look as lovely as the sun on a rainy day yourself, thanks.” Lance groaned, smoothing a hand through his hair, he was already exhausted, “So did you come here to help or just insult me and my home?” 

“Oh don't be such a baby, of course I’m here to help you.” Veronica rolled her eyes and sat next to him, placing a cool wrist against his forehead, “And you’re definitely running a fever... been vomiting and feeling sore?” she asked softly, digging for a diagnosis.

Really Lance should consider himself lucky that his sister was a nurse but he still couldn't help feeling a bit like a child, “uh, I did yesterday, Hunk gave me some soup but it didn't really...stick. Haven’t eaten yet today so Im safe.” he supplied readily, figuring it was easier to just get this over with. 

After a few more minutes of this Veronica officially diagnosed him with a minor case of the flu, hopefully it would run its course in a week and there wouldn’t be any complications, but Lance needed to stay in bed or on the couch and rest to get better. She threw some clean clothes at him that she had brought from home, somehow knowing that Lance probably didn't have any. He was grateful of course- but also a little spooked. She then went off to heat up the soup that had come from Mrs. Garret and Lance already felt like he was getting better- he loved that woman almost as much as his own mother.

Once veronica was gone, Lance took the quiet moment to finally check his phone. It did a funny thing to his stomach and he somehow managed to feel a little sicker by doing it. However there was a little relief as he noticed that he had a few missed calls and unread messages- maybe they did care? ‘Or at least Shiro does….’ Lance found an ugly part of his brain thinking, but he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to dig into that thought process right now. 

There were two separate calls from Shiro about six hours apart and (surprisingly) one from Keith and at least five texts from each of them, Shiro being a lot calmer and letting Lance know that he missed him and trying to apologize for something and reminding Lance he was going to be leaving on a business trip next week, so on and so on. Keith was a lot more demanding, where was he, why wasn't he picking up? Shiro is worried, don't be a dick Lance, so on…

Of course he was used to the abrasive nature of Keith so it honestly didn't bother him so much, but those words still echoed in his head and part of him absolutely blamed Keith for the matter of him being sick- so excuse him for being a little pissed off about being called a dick.

He shot their group chat a quick text, apologizing for not showing up the night before (even though he technically had) and that he hadn't been feeling tip top, was a little under the weather he would be out for awhile just to avoid getting anyone sick, as well as his lack of response being because of a dead phone and him forgetting to charge said phone. Of course he would still go to work as soon as he could but they didn't need to know that. He was just about to set his phone down when it immediately lit up with a response.

“Is it the flu? I hear that's been going around lately, please be careful. We miss you at the apartment, when can we see you again, do you want us to come over?” all from Shiro

And boy oh boy if Lance’s heart didn't just swell a little, Shiro really was the sweetest man he had ever met, god he didn't want to lose him. His eyes pricked a little at the idea- that was very well likely if Keith really meant what he said. 

“V said it was the flu, don't worry I will be super careful. It should probably take about 2 weeks to completely run out. You don't need worry yourself, I would hate to get you sick”

“2 weeks? :( I don't think we’ll survive…” 

“Aw Shiro… <3” 

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come check on you?”

“Lol between Hunk and Veronica I think I have enough doting already. But I’ll keep you posted on that front.’

“ ok. I have to go to work but I’ll check in when I get the chance <3 get better soon. And if I can bring anything plz lmk” 

“Ofc you dork.” 

And- no response from Keith, whatever, he could sulk if he wanted to.

Lance shut off his phone and sighed heavily. At least Shiro seemed to still care enough about him. Maybe it was okay to hope that things were fine, him and Keith could totally talk things out.  
Someday…

“What’s got you sighing over there?” His sister set a bowl of soup on his side table. He could almost smell that beautiful aroma through his stuffy nose, it was practically a crime that he had been robbed of it for so long. 

“Nothing, just… irritated that I got sick and I feel like absolute shit. I should really be working right now, but it's not exactly an option.” He frowned and pulled the soup bowl into his lap, this was probably his last clean bowl, he really needed to clean up the place when he could walk again. 

“How exactly did you get sick anyways? You take better care of yourself, I can’t imagine you galavanting in the rain just because you wanted to.” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Well that’s where you’d be wrong- you know I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, all that jazz.” he shrugged, offering a small smile. 

His sister however, was not having any of that, she fixed Lance with one of those no nonsense looks, “Lance. Seriously, did something happen?” 

He shrunk in a bit and found that this bowl of soup was much more appetizing to look at than the one from yesterday, hurry and cool down little bowl. After a moment of silence he simply shrugged again, “I spent my money poorly, I was out of my favorite skin care product so it was either taking care of my beautiful self or taking a car. I didn’t expect the weather to tear me a new one for choosing my skin.” and he wasn’t exactly lying, sure if he had taken the time to get dry maybe he wouldn’t have gotten sick, but he didn’t want to think about it too much. 

Veronica still looked highly suspicious but after Lance doubled over in a coughing fit she seemed to decide it was better just to leave it for now, “Look...just get some rest okay? I’ll come check on you again tonight, let me know if you need anything, if I don't pick up, call Hunk yeah?” 

Lance wiped his nose with his sleeve and grimaced, “Yeah, okay, have fun at the hospital. Tell me any interesting stories that don’t involve all the blood and guts.” 

“You know those are the best ones though.” 

“Mm sure, and I’ll let you have the honor of cleaning up when I inevitably throw up.”

Veronica snorted and ruffled his hair, “Ah, what am I going to do with you? Alright, rest up dummy.” 

And with that she was gone and Lance was left to his own devices. He didn’t exactly have much to do with himself so he opted to just scroll instagram until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been so sweet in the comments ;w;- Lance is definitely going through some shit right now but he'll figure it out...probably. There's one more chapter after this and then the boys will actually meet up again. Thank you so much for reading, I'll try to keep updating quickly while maintaining quality;3
> 
> Also Veronica and Lance's sibling relationship is so underrated- I wish more people included her, but I also like Allura in that position so what can ya do?


	4. Doing Better

The next few days passed with Lance constantly sliding between feeling god awful and then slightly better before going right back to feeling terrible. Shiro- the saint, had continued to check up on him daily, asking if he had eaten or drank enough water, if Lance wanted him to come over and all that, which was adorably sweet but really Lance didn’t want to be responsible for Shiro getting sick. Keith for his part had texted him once or twice, the first accusing him of being an idiot who didn't call a car and walked in the rain. Which was fair enough but still pissed him right off though, thankfully, for Keith, he couldn't be bothered to respond with his usual sass so he decided to just leave it on read. Another message came a few minutes later, it was a little apology and a get better soon sort of deal that had him wondering if Shiro had seen the message and told Keith to apologize or if he actually felt bad for the comment. Lance liked to assume the latter but these days he just couldn't be sure. 

Thankfully after five days of flu hell he woke up feeling actually and truly awake, his sinuses felt open, his body didn't ache and while he was still tired, it wasn’t the heavy sort of tired that kept him chained to the bed. 

That morning he got up, stretched, walked around, and finally took a goddamn shower and it felt amazing. He even straightened his hair and did a face mask- lord knows his skin was begging for it. And he managed to keep down an entire bowl of soup, yay. So when Veronica came over that day she found her very content brother with a fresh complexion and that typical Lance glow about him.

“Seems you’re feeling better.” she hummed and sat next to him on the bed, raising an eyebrow as he scrolled instagram.

He looked over at her and smiled, “Yeah, I already texted Coran and let him know I would be able to come into work. I wanted to come in today but he insisted I just start coming back tomorrow.” he huffed softly and shrugged. A little work wouldn’t kill him after all.”

“Your employer is a smart man then. Just because you’re feeling good right now doesn’t mean you’re completely better, idiot.” Veronica gently flicked his forehead which got a soft yelp from Lance and small glare, “I am relieved you’re doing better though, I have a long shift at the hospital today so I was really just coming in for a check up. I brought your laundry back from the house, you really need to get some more clothes hermano…” 

“Well when I start making more money maybe I’ll have that option.” Lance rolled his eyes and rubbed at the spot on his forehead. 

“You’re paying too much for this shit hole place- why don’t you just move in with your boyfriends? Or even move in with Hunk like before.” Veronica pleaded softly. The cracked paint on the wall glaring back at her, and the dripping sink maintaining rhythm in her mind. 

“Hah, I'm not even sure that the first option is even really an option at all, they live in a super nice place- I wouldn’t even be able to afford staying in their coat closet- and Hunk has Shay- I would hate to complicate anything for them.” He shrugged and tucked into himself a bit, as an afterthought he added, “Keith and I haven’t really been getting along lately anyways…”

Veronica’s eyes narrowed, “What did he do this time?” 

Lance put his hands up and leaned away from her, ‘Look it's not that big of a deal, I just think… I think we might have different priorities.” And right on cue his phone vibrated. He looked down just in time to see a message from Keith.

“We need to talk. Soon.” 

And boy if that didn’t set him right on edge. 

“And it looks like we’re about to discuss them too.” He bit his lip before sagging into the couch. “Look, go ahead and head to the hospital, I think I’m just going to sit around the apartment, maybe step outside for a second.”

Veronica looked him over before sighing, he was so hard headed, “That bad huh?” She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a meaningful look “If that boy hurts you- in anyway, you let me know. I’ll put him in his place. And then Hunk can have his shot.” She stated matter of factly. 

“Hah-! how kind of you. Don’t worry, I'm a big boy, I can handle this myself, but feel free to leave a night open to take your sad little hermano out for drinks.” he smiled a bit before the weight of the situation once again settled on his shoulders. Shiro wasn’t even back yet, he had left on his business trip yesterday, Lance had meant to call him but...well it just didn’t happen. 

“You’re still recovering from being sick, if you don’t think you can handle it then don’t force yourself. At this point he can sit and stew like he’s been doing. Have either of them even tried reaching out?” 

“Shiro did- I just...I don’t want him to get sick you know? Keith… is Keith, he's complicated and broody and all that shit, I don't know what to do with him most of the time.” he sighed. 

“Have you tried getting an explanation from him? Like sitting down and actually talking like adults?” Veronica cocked an eyebrow and leaned back in her seat. 

Lance slid down a little and rubbed the back of his neck. “Not...really. Look- I just- Im scared that this talk is just going to result in Keith saying he wants to break up- and if it came down to it Shiro would definitely choose Keith over me- Im just...kinda like an extra? Like they were together first- they’re basically married and here I am, interrupting their relationship-”

“Hold it right there, you are not an extra in this relationship and if you were then that just means that they are missing out on something truly amazing. As much of a pain in my ass as you are- you’re a great person. If they don't appreciate that then you don't need them.” 

“Well as sweet as it is of you to say that...I really like these guys- it's not that easy to just be done with them, and Shiro hasn’t even done anything wrong really.” Lance tried, but that small nagging in the back of his head reminded him that Shiro hadn’t even really defended him from Keith’s harsh words.

Veronica softened a little at that and nodded, “I know, just, take care of yourself first, you’re important to a lot of people and I personally don’t like seeing you upset.”

“And I really appreciate that- but in this case it might be unavoidable, I’ll talk to him soon.” he sighed and shook his head. “Anyways, don’t you need to get to work? It's almost noon.”

She sat up at that and checked her phone, “Shit- yeah, I need to head out, alright just take it easy. Call me if you need anything okay? Even if it's just a night out. I love you hermano.” she reached over and gave his hair a little tousle before standing up. 

“Yeah yeah, love you too V, now get outta here.” he waved her off and smoothed his hair back down, watching as she left. 

Once the door was shut, he found himself once again alone with his thoughts. 

He picked up his phone and stared at the message for a few moments before finally responding,

“Yeah I think we do. When do you want to meet up?”’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we get some actual tried and true interactions between Lance and keith! Who's excited? lol


	5. You work here?

The one nice thing about his job was that it rarely ever changed. He could leave for a year and still find the cafe in the same condition with nearly the same clientele. It was comforting in a way that surprised him as he walked through the door. 

Hunk was up front today, working the register while the most recent round of desserts were in the oven, ah that beautiful smell of warm bread and coffee, he had missed it. 

Lance waved at his friend as he walked past, not wanting to interrupt his conversation with the current customer. He got a warm smile in response and that just lit up his day. His friend really didn’t know the power of that smile, it was on the same level as the sun.

In the back, he pulled the very familiar apron over his head and tied it just in time for Coran to poke his head in from the office, a slight dusting of flour on his face providing evidence that he had been baking while Hunk was up front, “Lance m’boy! How are you doing? You seem in good spirits today, we certainly missed you here, several of our customers wondered where you disappeared off to.” His jovial attitude was something Lance always looked forward to as well. 

“Hey, it's definitely good to be back, I’ll have to pick up the slack. If you’re back in the kitchen you must be really desperate.” He chuckled and turned to check on the ovens. 

His boss simply laughed and slipped back into his office. 

Yeah, it was good to be back, maybe work could distract him. He was supposed to have his ‘talk’ with Keith tomorrow and it had him on edge. There was a high chance this was where his life started it's downward spiral and work was the only thing keeping him from just laying in bed with the covers over his head. 

He decided to take his internal suffering out on the bread, kneading it to optimal bread texture before setting it aside to rise. 

“Hey Lance, buddy? Could you take over in the front pleaese? I really need to start the next batch of bread-’” Hunk peeked in on him and smiled nervously.

Lance took the cue, he was used to this sort of situation, Hunk wasn’t very fond of being the front man, after a while the pressure of it really got to him and he just needed a break and seeing as this was a small operation, without Lance there Hunk was probably up front a lot more than he was used to. 

“I gotcha dude, go get that bread.” He snickered and ducked under his arm to get to the register. He heard the heavy sigh of both relief and disbelief at Lance’s stupid comment, but Lance liked to think it was heavier on the relief side. 

The shift was about the usual, taking orders from their usual customers, several of which Lance had memorized the names of and their typical orders. A few of the older ladies had asked where he had been the last few days which was very sweet of them, but Lance wasn’t the most comfortable with the idea of telling them he was sick, so he just mentioned he had gone on a mini vacation. He would throw a gentle wink and promise to warn them before he left next time. He really did love his job, he just wished it paid a little better. 

It was in fact, business as usual, until...it wasn't. 

The chime above the door sounded and Lance happened to not have a line, he looked up and with a charming smile said, “Hey welcome in! What can I get for you today?” only to realize a second later exactly who the customer he just welcomed was- 

“Lance-?” Came the slightly confused sound of his boyfriend’s voice as he looked around a moment before settling his gaze back on him, “So Im guessing this is where you work then.” Keith stood in front of him, looking as grumpy as ever but dressed in his usual leather jacket and torn jeans that made him look oh so ruggedly handsome. 

At the moment though, the sheer panic that Lance was feeling didn't leave much room to appreciate it. 

It took a second, he was absolutely reeling. 

“Lance? Hellooo?” Keith waved his hand in front of his face, eyebrow cocked.

That finally got him to snap back to attention, “Hey you, uh, yeah… what are you doing here?” he smiled nervously, this wasn’t exactly how he intended for either of them to find out about it. 

“A customer recommended the place, said the coffee was good, thought I would check it out.” he leaned on the counter a bit and fixed Lance with a look, “Maybe I would’ve come sooner if you had mentioned you worked here.” 

Lance leaned back a bit, his smile cracking a little at the edges, “I was uh, getting around to it.”

“It's been eight months, but sure you were.” Keith tutted and pushed off the counter, looking as grumpy as ever. 

And there went his attempt at being civil, see this was why they couldn't get along, that goddamn sass. Lance frowned a bit, “Look. Do you want some coffee or not? I need to get back to work.” 

Keith let out another annoyed sort of sound but shrugged it off, “Why don’t you just pick something for me? You probably know this shit better than I do.”

Which was fair, Keith usually just drank boring ass black coffee, thankfully he had the perfect drink already on the brain, he definitely hadn't been thinking about what he would recommend both of them when the time to spill finally came, “Alright, it’ll be $4.28.” He pointed to the pin pad.

He cocked an eyebrow at him, “Aren’t you going to tell me what it is?” 

“Nope. It's a surprise.” Lance hummed and managed a bit of his usual charm, “If you don’t like it then I’ll cover it, how about that?” 

That got him a shrug in response, “Alright, are we still on for tomorrow then?”

And there it was. That sinking feeling was settling in his chest once again, his shoulders sagged a bit but he tried to bring back a small smile, “Yeah, definitely.” 

Keith’s brow furrowed a little and he was about to say something when the customer behind him cleared his throat. Well shit- when did they get there?

“Sorry Keith, could you go ahead? Ill bring you your coffee, there’s just a line starting to form behind you.” lance maintained his composure and sort of nodded towards the counter facing the windows.

“Oh, uh yeah, sorry.” He mumbled, apparently jus noticing the line as well, before slinking over to wait for his drink. 

Lance couldn't help but notice Keith’s gaze constantly shifting to him while he was working, it was honestly a bit unnerving, he wondered if Keith was watching to see if he would fumble anything. The thought drove him to return to his usual boisterous customer service persona back on and when he was finally able to get Keith’s coffee done he felt a little bit more in his element. He even managed to not do that really tropey thing where one trips over nothing and spills the drink all over the other, phew. 

“Sorry that took me a second, this place really picks up at lunch time.” He set the nice and hot cup of coffee in front of Keith and took a step back, watching as he grabbed it and took a drink. Keith was quite for a moment and Lance held his breath.

“It's good.” he stated lowly, setting the mug back down, and boy did that have Lance internally jumping for joy. “What is it?” 

“A spiced mocha, thought you might like to mix it up for once mister dark and brooding.” He hummed, moving from heel to toe nervously. 

“Mm, nice, I’ll have to get it again next time.” he tilted his head and Lance could feel him looking him over, “Hey- are you-”

“Sorry, I uh, I really need to get back to work, Hunk needs some help with the pastries but, we’re gonna talk tomorrow yeah?” Lance did some half hearted finger guns and turned on his heel, striding back to the kitchen, he could feel Keith’s gaze on him the entire way back. 

Once he made it safely out of sight he thumped his head against the wall and sighed, “real smooth Lance. Totally not suspicious at all.” he whispered to himself, pushing his hands through his hair. God he was not ready for this conversation at all- much less Keith just showing up out of nowhere. What the hell was even up with that? 

He was still internally freaking out a bit when Hunk came around the corner and nearly toppled a fresh pan of cookies trying to not run into him. “Woah- dude what are you doing in the doorway- are you okay?” He set the tray down, really taking in the state of his friend who was now standing at high alert.

“Shit- sorry Hunk, I just zoned out for a second there, my bad. Uh, let me take those for you, I’ll put ‘em out.” He took the tray and moved to put them out before Hunk could call him on his shit. There was work to be done after all and he really needed this job. 

When he went back out to the front he was expecting Keith to be standing at the counter demanding his attention but to both his relief and disappointment the man had already left, but he did notice the twenty sticking out of the tip jar and sighed. What the hell was he doing? 

The rest of the shift was practically a breeze, no more surprise boyfriend visits and Hunk was busy enough that he couldn’t grill Lance on his earlier freak out. Now all he had to do was go home, take a shower, and try not to stay up all night panicking about tomorrow. 

Easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys first actual interaction! Part one of the /real/ fun starts next chapter>:,) it gets worse before it gets better folks


	6. The First Talk

To say he slept the night prior would be a lie. He managed to drift off around 3 am after hours of fretting and jumping down the rabbit hole of youtube videos, as one tends to do when they can’t sleep. Then there was the matter of his neighbors deciding that 7am was the perfect time to move what sounded like a whole ass grand piano, and proceeded to drop it with a series of crashes and bangs that woke up everyone within a one mile radius. Falling back asleep was just out of the question. 

So he was working off roughly four hours of sleep, an already fragile psyche, and remembering that his meeting with Keith was in half an hour. Fantastic. 

He managed to take a cold shower and fix his hair, his wonderful sister supplying him with clean laundry so he could be more or less presentable. He sent Keith a text that he was on the way and began the twenty minute walk to the apartment. 

At least it wasn't raining this time. 

If he had thought about this more, he would have asked if they could talk somewhere else. Anywhere he wouldn’t feel the comfort, safety and happiness that was there. He wanted to keep it that way, but the hope began ebbing away when Keith’s words echoed in his mind.

Keep it together, Lance. The best you can do is keep him from seeing you upset.

His anxiety grew with every step up to the apartment. It felt like he was climbing a mountain. When he finally reached the peak, there was nothing but a door standing imposingly between him and his future. He wanted to turn tail and run back home, pretend that none of this was happening. But he didn't have that luxury; the longer this went on, the worse it would hurt. 

So, he took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and waited. 

His heart jumped as the lock clicked. The door opened revealing Keith in casual clothes, hair messy, looking like he just woke up. 

Well, glad he wasn't losing sleep over this.

He must have looked rather nervous as Keith gave him a sideways look before opening the door the rest of the way and stepping back.

“Hey. You, uh...look like you slept well.” Lance tried, a little bit of teasing was typical, his usual charm lacking. 

Keith shut the door and cocked a brow, “And you look like you havent slept in days. Let’s sit.” 

He motioned towards the couch before taking a seat himself like this wasn't the big talk that had been echoing in Lance’s head for weeks now. 

He hesitated a moment, watching him sit there so casually like this wasn't a big deal. 

“Yeah, well, I was pretty sick, recovering and all that.” Lance huffed, starting to get irritated with his attitude, “Excuse me for not looking like a million bucks after that.” 

The ravenette looked up at him, that typical grumpiness taking on an air of annoyance, “You know I didn’t mean it like that- and why were you at work yesterday if you’re still ‘recovering’?” 

Lance could feel his previous anxiety melting into anger. Was he actually doing this-? 

“Because I can’t afford to miss more work than I already have. I missed nearly an entire week, plus today- which I took off specifically for you- so I’m very sorry that my need to work doesn’t line up with your idea of how a sick person should behave.” He ground out, unable to stifle the irritation in his gaze. 

He could see Keith get more agitated at his tone, glaring right back. “It’s not even about you going to work- it's about the fact that you can’t take care of yourself! You got yourself sick because of your own stupid decision to walk home in the rain! Who does that?” 

“Someone who didn't think he’d have to call a car because he was going to spend the night with his boyfriend, but also can’t afford to! Unlike you and Shiro, I don't have money to throw around!” He hissed, “And I can take care of myself, thank you- I was doing just fine before I met you and Shiro. I'm not a child!” 

“Really? Because you sure act like one. You’re always picking fights with me- only me- and that attitude-”

“Is because you can’t go five minutes without being an asshole! Would it kill you to check up on me once without making me feel like an idiot? I wouldn't have to pick fights if you actually opened up to me! I don't fight with Shiro because he doesn’t give me a reason to.”

“Oh and I do? You act like I don't care about you at all- like that doesn't bother me!”

“That’s absolutely rich. I never start anything with you, you always come at me!”

“I’m not ‘coming at you’! You just assume I’m picking a fight. I know my tone doesn't always come across great, okay? But you knew that coming into this!”

“That is total bullshit- you weren’t an asshole when we first met. Sure, you were irritable and impatient, but you still cared- I don't know what changed, but that sounds like a you problem.” 

“I do still care- you’re just so incredibly irritating when you pull shit like this! Or, like movie night, when you just suddenly decided you weren’t coming half an hour after Shiro and I were ready. We haven’t seen you in months, and then you flaked? Excuse me for getting pissed off!”

As soon as the subject was brought up Lance felt the last of his emotional dams break. 

“Did you even want me there?” He growled lowly, gripping the back of the chair. 

“Of course I fucking wanted you there, Lance- why would I invite you over if I didnt?” Keith looked at him incredulously. Like he was some sort of idiot. 

That was it.

He grounded himself and glared daggers into him, gritting his teeth, “You want to know why? Let me tell you something- I showed up, Keith. I was here.” Lance ground out, breaking eye contact as his chest constricting. “I even came early to surprise you, y’know? I was finally going to see you guys after 3 weeks. Then I heard you. My boyfriend. Talking behind my back about how clingy and annoying I am to our other boyfriend, and honestly? I already had a shit enough day.” He pushed a hand through his hair, noticing how still Keith had become, the anger replaced with shock, which just fueled the fire. 

What right did he have to act surprised?

“You wanna know why I got sick, Keith? Because I decided that I didn't want to be around someone who didn't want me here, so I ran home. In the rain. Like an idiot.” He could feel himself shaking as the words tore from his throat, the anger mixing with hurt and sadness. “I was waiting for this, y’know? Because I wanted you to explain to me why you said those things…to tell me I misheard something, that you didn't mean it- that you care about me. I never realized how much of an extra I was until I heard you. Sure, the thought was always there. You and Shiro are perfect for each other. But me? I don’t fit. A college drop-out with a shitty job that barely makes any money. Maybe this was just a trial run, or whatever- and you’re over it.” 

His voice cracked as he finished his sentence and his heart throbbed, he gripped his hair and shook his head, voice just above a whisper. 

“I figured you would want to wait until Shiro came back...talk to him about it. But then you took the initiative, and this obviously isn't working, so where does that leave us? Where does it leave me? It makes me sick not knowing. It hurts.” 

All he got in response was the deafening silence- it was too quiet. Lance could feel the burning of tears threatening to spill over. He held his breath, waiting for a response. 

Maybe that was a good thing- maybe he was thinking, or he hadn’t realized how much of this had fucked Keith up. But it was killing him to stand in the silence. 

So he took the five steps to the front door and let himself out, just barely hearing Keith’s shout for him to wait before he was out. He needed to breathe- to not be in that stifling atmosphere of uncertainty and hurt. 

So he ran. He made it halfway home before the burning in his lungs forced him to pause and actually breathe. 

His phone was vibrating. He couldn't pick it up yet. He needed to get home first, but needed to catch his breath. Stopping at one of the street benches, his chest ached and lungs burned. Somewhere along the way he gave up trying to keep in the tears, feeling them run down his face. 

God, he was pathetic, wasn't he? He should’ve just waited for Keith's response. What if he had something to say? Something other than “You’re right, it’s over”? But, no. He wasn't going back. Not until at least Shiro was there, too. 

He and Keith just didn’t work. 

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but his phone had stopped vibrating and his skin had dried. At the moment, he was numb. He decided then, opening his phone he ignored the messages and the missed calls, instead opening up his messages with Hunk.

“Gather the troops, we’re going drinking tonight.”

He peeled himself off the bench, jammed his phone in his pocket and headed towards work. Coran wouldn't mind if he picked up a shift. Whoever showed up that night would be fine; he just needed a break. 

He would worry about the price later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! thank you for your patience- I was really nervous about wanting to make this chapter as good as I possibly could since its one of the big scenes between the two ;w; I hope I did it justice! We get to see some interesting things after this- potentially a chapter from keiths POV??? OAO)))/


	7. Clubs and Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- THERE ARE SOME SEXUAL SITUATIONS IN THE THIRD PART OF THE CHAPTER- NOTHING TOO EXPLICIT BUT JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AND FEEL FREE TO SKIP OVER IT  
> 

In the ten hours between his chat with Keith and the drinking he planned to do that night, he managed to set a budget for himself of $50, drinks were expensive afterall, especially if you didn’t have someone to buy them for you.

Tonight, he didn’t plan on having that someone, unless one of his friends took pity on him, in which he swore to himself he would only have one pity drink because most of his friends were only doing marginally better than him in the cash department. 

At ten sharp he was waiting outside his apartment for Hunk, he wasn’t entirely certain who Hunk had gathered, but between the two of them there weren’t that many people it could have been. 

He hopped from foot to foot as he waited for that familiar car to pull up. Thankfully since the laundry had actually been done for once, he had a warm jacket and non-coffee stained jeans, and he had even put a bit of extra effort into his hair and skin. He might be heartbroken but the whole club didn’t need to know about it. 

Once his friend pulled in, Lance noticed the lovely woman in the passenger seat, as well as someone in the back. Hunk had definitely made good on his promise to gather some peeps. He waved at them before opening the back door, “Hey buddy, I see you brought your lovely fiance, glad to see you Shay.” He grinned despite himself and shut the door. 

“Hi Lance, it is really good to see you too, when Hunk invited me I certainly couldn't say no!” came her cheery voice.

“Allura said she would meet us at the club, work is running a bit late as usual.” Hunk looked back at him from the rear view mirror and smiled. Seriously, bless these people, he loved them so much. 

He felt a nudge from the other side of the car, “Excuse me sir- where’s my friendly greeting?” 

Ah yes- he turned his attention to his bespectacled friend who he had purposefully not greeted for one reason, “Sorry I was pretending you weren’t here, little gremlins under 21 shouldnt be going to adult clubs.” he huffed teasingly, getting a punch to the arm in response.

“Hey! I have my fake, no one is gonna know, besides i’m already 19, legally an adult, it's bull shit that they won’t let me into the club!” Pidge squawked and crossed her arms. Lance opened his mouth to retort and reprimand the use of a fake. The last thing he wanted was for her to get in trouble on his account. 

“Don’t worry, Shay and I aren’t going to let her drink, we just figured you would want all of your friends around tonight.” Came Hunks sheepish response from the front. 

That had Lance shutting his mouth with a click and sinking into his seat, “Damn you, I cant be mad at that.” He also sympathized with Pidge, he had been in her shoes not too long ago after all, and had certainly drank before he was 21, but now that he was older Pidge still seemed like a kid and he felt the need to protect her. 

Hunk and Shay laughed lightheartedly and Pidge began to chat to him idly about everything that had been going on in their life recently. While Lance was listening, he couldn’t help but simply feel grateful for the distraction. The conversation with Keith and Shiro was long from over. 

Upon arrival to the club, a very familiar woman with striking white hair was waiting for them at the entrance. Allura had certainly dressed for the occasion, and waved them over with a smile.

Lance straightened his collar and fixed her with a charming smile, “Good evening Allura, you are looking as stunning as ever.” he winked.

Allura laughed softly and shook her head, “Ever the charmer Lance, hello everyone, Shay it is lovely to see you again. Pidge, we’ll be keeping a close eye on you” she teased lightly, getting an indignant huff from the youngest friend.

Lance had to admit that she was definitely still a knockout, her girlfriend was lucky to have her, he had long been over that crush but didn’t mean he wouldn’t still appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw her. 

Lane held his breath as they approached the bouncer but Pidge was incredibly smart and apparently talented at making fakes so they were all let in without a hitch. As they entered there was the sudden shift to led lights and pulsing music, the dance floor already crowded with bodies. 

Allura slipped her arm around Lance’s waist, leaning in close, “I believe you and I need to have a chat, first drink on me?” she hummed, just loud enough that only he could hear. 

His heart sunk just a bit and he offered her a much smaller smile, “I won’t turn down a free drink but you really don’t need to listen to me bitch about my problems.” 

“Come now, that is what friends are for! I am certain everyone, minus Pidge obviously, would be more than happy to get you a drink themselves. I just called first dibs.” she smirked and led him over to the bar, waving back at Hunk who nodded with a knowing smile. Obviously this had been premeditated. Damn them and their caring about him too much. They sat down and Allura ordered for them both. He didn’t catch what it was, but he trusted her. 

Once the drinks were slid their way, Allura took a sip before fixing him with a look, “Alright dear, tell me exactly what happened, don’t skimp on the details.” 

“Look, before you go all mama bear on me, let me just say that this fight has been a long time coming.” Lance admitted softly, trying to find the words in a way that wouldn’t result in immediate tears because crying in the club was too cliche for him right now, “I guess I was being too clingy and bickering with Keith too much? I thought we were doing fine but he uh, he seemed to think otherwise I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

“Ah yes, Keith, he tends to be a problem doesn't he?” she muttered. “I sincerely doubt you were being too clingy, knowing your schedule you were probably only seeing them once every week or two? Unless you were constantly blowing up their phone I don't see how you could be too clingy.”

“No- I- look it's not all his fault, Keith really is a great guy-” Allura raised an eyebrow at that, Lance pushed on, “Once you get to know him- he’s honestly super sweet and loyal as all hell, he’s just a little rough around the edges… and I knew that our personalities didn’t exactly match up well going in.”

“And yet you fell for him anyways. Lance you really are far too kind, defending him even when you’re an absolute wreck over this. Pray tell what exactly he did?” 

“He uh, I overheard him telling Shiro he thought I was too needy, that he didn’t want me around.” Lanced chuckled hollowly and took another long drink. “I mean really, I should have seen it coming, he hadn’t really been talking to me beyond reinforcing what Shiro said, or fighting me.”

Allura frowned and gently set her hand on top of his, “No, I understand, that certainly would hurt- a complete dick move on his part really, he betrayed your trust. Please tell me at least Shiro defended you.”

Lance simply shrugged, “He tried, I didn’t really stick around that long to find out.” 

“Really-? Shiro is typically the one to rush in to defend I'm surprised.” Allura furrowed her brow again. 

Ah thats right- Lance forgot sometimes that they used to work together before Shiro took another job after college, he also talked about them all the time. Too much probably.

“Yeah, I dunno, Im also at fault, I should have said something that night, instead of running away like a coward. I’m just so scared. I really like these guys ya know? I just thought if maybe I pretended everything was fine- but I guess I didn’t really belong in that relationship after all.” And there began the spiral into self-doubt and deprecation, it was always waiting for him with open arms. 

“Lance, you know that is simply not true! I am certain those two love you, and if they don't then it is completely their loss. You are a wonderful person, an absolutely charming goofball, and anyone should be thankful to have you. Especially those two.” she huffed and squeezed his hand. “You need to talk to Shiro. Have you even tried talking to him yet?”

“Thanks…” Lance offered a wobbly smile, but he still wasn’t entirely sure he believed her. “And no, I know I need to- just...he’s on a business trip and I don’t want to stress him out over this. He works himself too hard as it is…” 

“Screw his business trip! I understand him being busy but if he cares about you, as I'm sure he does, he would prioritize you. He would certainly have time to at least give you a call yes?”

“Yeah, I mean we talked a few days ago, I just didn’t want to bother him.” he sighed and leaned on the counter a bit more. Everything just felt too heavy, he finished off his drink and ordered another one. 

Allura smoothed his hair down and shook her head, “and I'm telling you it wouldn't be a bother. You have to communicate with both of them clearly, or else this definitely isn't going to work out. Let me see your phone.” 

“I know…” Lance hesitated a moment before passing it over. 

She unlocked it and glanced over his unread messages and missed calls, “You know they’ve each tried to call you nearly a dozen times. Does this not prove they at least care a little? If not more? You can’t ignore the situation, the longer this goes unchecked the more time those feelings of worry have the chance to fester into frustration.” 

Lance felt his heart clench once again and his eyes stung. Of course she was right- he was just so scared that this would lead to the end and he didn’t want that- no matter what. 

“Not tonight. I can’t do it tonight, I just need a break.” he pleaded softly.

Allura’s expression softened and she passed his phone back, “Fine, but tomorrow you need to at least call Shiro. Promise me this.” She held out her pinky and gave him a very sincere look.

A small laugh bubbled out of him from the childish nature of the pinky promise, but he knew that she would never lead him astray. He linked their pinkies together, “I promise I’ll call him, now, can we please go dance or something? I came here to have a good time.” he huffed gently and quickly finished off his second drink, the effects beginning to set in. that was good. He wanted to let loose a little tonight. 

“Yeah, alright, I think I see Hunk and Shay on the floor. God Hunk is the sweetest man alive but he really cannot dance can he?” She hummed once she spotted the couple on between everyone else, Pidge was watching from the side cheering them on.

“Definitely not, but I think it's sweet. Shay seems to think the same thing too if that smile is anything to go off of.” Lance laughed lightly and pulled Allura onto the floor with him as a new song started up. 

“Oh shit- this is my jam! Come on!” He sidled right up to his other friends and motioned for Pidge to join them, getting down to the rhythm. The latter shook her head and tried her best to sink back into the crowd of people but Lance caught her and brought her out. 

The five of them laughed and danced around each other for a good few hours. Lance could feel the relief hit him as he just sunk into the music and the joy of having his friends around. At least he would have them if things went poorly. 

He really had the best of friends...he was truly blessed. 

\------------

He had fucked up and he knew it. 

The moment Lance mentioned getting to the apartment early he knew. Now he had left and Keith couldn't do shit about it. Rooted to the floor as he helplessly watched him as the anxiety and the shame kept him there. 

The door slamming shut was what shook him out of it, but he was too late to catch up to him and what would it have done anyways? He didn't know what he could even say to him.

Keith reached for his phone, his hands shaking as he first tried to call Lance, no luck of course- what had he been expecting? If Lance had wanted to continue the conversation he wouldn’t have run away. He tapped Shiro’s number, bringing it up to his ear and counting the rings before it was answered. His chest hurt, he realized his breathing was irregular, he was panicking and Shiro wasn’t there to help him. 

His heart leapt when he the line picked up and that beautifully familiar voice came from the other side. 

“Hello? Keith-?” he must have just woken up, probably had a long night with finalizing business. 

He had trouble finding his voice for a moment, his breathing was still ragged and he could hear movement from Shiro, probably getting up to take the call outside, “Keith whats wrong? Are you okay?”

Keith shoved a hand through the front of his hair and huddled against the couch, “I-I fucked up Shiro- I really really fucked up.” he managed to force the words out. 

More worry shot through Shiro’s words and Keith felt his chest ache“What do you mean-? Are you hurt? Just try to breathe for me.”

“Not, not hurt- Im fine, mostly- just- I tried to talk to Lance.” he pulled at his hair a bit, trying to focus on inhaling and exhaling, his nerves calmed a bit just hearing his voice, but as he settled he could feel the stinging behind his eyes, so he shut them tight, “He heard what I said Shiro-”

There was a moment of silence on the end, then a soft sigh of relief that Keith was fine,“What you said when?”

“Movie night, when he got sick, and I- I said that really stupid thing- about him being too clingy and a-annoying” Keith bit his lip, just barely keeping it together as the panic pushed in.

He could hear a sharp intake of breath as Shiro processed what he said, “Oh- oh no… so that's why he didn't show up.”

“Yeah- and I didn't know- so when I asked him to talk it just turned into another fight- I was such an ass Shiro- I didn't know-I wouldn’t have said it if I knew-” he mumbled, his breathing starting to become irregular again as he remembered the pained expression on Lance’s face, the heartbreak that was his fault. 

“Breathe for me Keith- you shouldn’t have said it at all, but there’s not much we can do about it right now, I’m coming back tomorrow, we need to talk to him as soon as possible. You need to apologize and tell him exactly how you feel. I can’t keep being the buffer between you two.”

“I know- you’re right- I just, it never comes out right- I always mess it up-” Keith stuttered out.

“You don’t, but I’ll be there this time okay? I’ll help you explain it to him, none of us have been communicating properly lately, it's my fault too. I should have known something was up.”

“Okay. I...I love you.” Keith mumbled softly.

“I love you too Keith, very much. Please just try to calm down, I'm going to try to call Lance and talk to him about tomorrow. I’ll be back in the morning.” Shiro reaffirmed, then softly cursed “shit- I need to get back inside, I have one more meeting in half an hour, are you going to be okay?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be okay, please check on him…” he forced a shaky exhale and then inhaled deeply, trying to get it back under control. “See you tomorrow.” 

“I will, bye love.” 

Then the line cut and Keith felt the tears begin to slip down his cheeks in frustration. He typed out a message to the other guys he worked with and let them know he wouldn't be in the garage today, then he threw his phone on the table. 

Fuck he was such an idiot! Why couldn't he have a single decent conversation with Lance? 

It was his own fault, he had let his own insecurities get the better of him, he had constantly gone to Shiro and not Lance with thoughts that Lance didn’t like him as much as Shiro. Admittedly he had bullied him and said stupid things and Lance had no reason to forgive him. No reason to want to see him honestly.

He felt so absolutely helpless in this situation, having to wait until Shiro got back to talk about it, like he wasn't a fucking adult. He had caused strain on what was such a good relationship all because he was shit at communicating. 

Keith sunk heavily into the couch. He needed to do some serious reflection and figure out just what he could possibly say to get Lance to forgive him. 

-

After the call ended with Keith, Shiro laid back on the bed and sighed heavily. How had it come to this? Of course Lance just happened to hear the worst possible part of Keith’s rant- which Shiro shouldn’t have let him have in the first place. He closed his eyes and tried to remember the bulk of how that conversation went down. 

\--

Shiro got home early from work that day so he and Keith could clean the place up a bit, vacuuming, dusting, prepping snacks and the movie selection to choose from. It had been pouring rain all day, and with the downpour came the dampening of Keith's mood. Shiro could tell he was on edge, it had been almost a month since they last saw Lance which made him anxious. Shiro on his end was ecstatic that he would get to see him, there would be plenty of time to cuddle and kiss and makeup for any lost time in the bedroom. 

As they moved in the bedroom, changing out the sheets and such, Keith laid down on the freshly made bed, much to Shiro’s chagrin. 

“Keith- you’re going to get the comforter all wrinkled, we just fixed that.” he huffed light heartedly.

Keith simply waved him off and motioned for Shiro to lay with him, “You know we’re just going to mess it up again anyways- and have to change the sheets again if the night goes how you want it to.” 

“Fair point, but I still want it to look nice for Lance.” Shiro chuckled and sat next to Keith carding a hand through his hair. He could just smooth it out when Keith got up.

“Why? It's long enough that I don't think Lance really cares about how tidy the bed is.” Keith snorted and let out a soft sigh of content at the petting. “I just think all this cleaning is excessive.”

“That's because you don't like doing it.” Shiro teased, “and I care about how tidy the bed is when it pertains to having our boyfriend or anyone over.” he gently poked Keith’s nose.

That got an annoyed huff from him and suddenly Shiro found himself with a lap full of Keith who was giving him a very meaningful look, “You know we still don't know where he works- or where he lives. If he really wanted to he could just change his number and we wouldn't have any way of getting in contact with him. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you? Normally that would be the first thing someone tells their boyfriends.”

Shiro held in a sigh, knowing where this was going as they had had this particular conversation a few times now, “Lance told us he works at a restaurant for now, and we never really pushed him for his address, maybe he’s embarrassed about it or something. You know how he can be.” 

Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck and leaned in, “He should trust enough to at least give us his address- what if there’s an emergency or he gets hurt.” Shiro could see the slight hurt in Keith’s eyes.

He leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and setting his hands on his waist, “You worry too much, and thats coming from the serial worrier. You just need to trust that Lance will tell us when he feel comfortable.”

Keith growled lowly, not at all placated by the kiss, “That's bullshit- and frankly the lack of trust paired with the distance is just an asshole move on his part. Not to mention he uses that as an excuse to be all over you- and then he turns around and picks fights with me.”

“You encourage those fights though, you know what buttons to push to irritate him and he knows which ones to push for you. Not to mention lately you’ve both been working more which leaves the three of us with less time and you get irritated about that too.” Shiro frowned and gently squeezed Keith’s hips. He wasn't in the mood to bicker. 

“I have not been working more.” Keith huffed indignantly, “And we all just work a lot anyways, so it's not my fault that our schedules have not lined up lately.” 

Shiro opened his mouth to speak once again only managing to get out “Keith-” before he was being pushed back against the bed and kissed roughly.

For a moment Shiro was almost swept up by the sudden shift in tone but he managed to break off for a moment, “Keith- you know we need to wait-” he managed to get out just before a hand slid up his shirt.

Keith rolled his hips down into Shiro’s, getting a soft groan in response, before Keith let up and hummed, “Come on Shiro- we don't have to wait for him. Honestly I don't know if I want to do movie night tonight after all. He’s especially needy on days like this. It's annoying.” He leaned down and kissed him deeply, nipping at his bottom lip.

Shiro humored him for a moment before pulling back “Come on yourself, we cant do that to him, we already planned this and we haven't seen him in over two weeks because of your new ‘busy schedule’.” Shiro ground out that last part, fixing Keith a look that told him he knew about the schedule changes he had made. “He's coming over soon and-”

“And he's going to be soaking wet, begging you to dote on him because he's tired and had to walk all the way here in pouring rain.” Keith growled, not backing down, the anger towards lance clear in his eyes. 

At that Shiro had had enough, he flipped them over and pressed Keith into the bed, ruining his mouth in another rough kiss and not letting up until Keith was a breathless mess underneath him, both oblivious to the sound of the front door opening and closing.

“That is enough Keith. You cannot let your anger and insecurity take over like this. I love both of you- and you know Lance loves you. Maybe if you would stop with the petty arguing because your anxious, you could actually talk. Lance does not prefer me over you, I’ve seen the way he looks at you when it's quiet. You need to be more open with him and maybe that would encourage him to open up to you. This is a three way relationship- not you and I, and not Lance and I, it's all three. I am not going to leave you for Lance and Lance is not going to just up and leave randomly. Not unless you keep pushing him away.” Shiro kept Keith fixed under him, bearing down on him in a way that Keith needed sometimes. 

Keith had visibly deflated underneath him, looking vulnerable in a way he only showed him. He swallowed harshly, meeting Shiro’s gaze, “Yeah- I know- I just….I don't want to lose you- or him- it's just hard to let him in too. I'm scared Shiro.” he admitted.

Shiro sighed and let up on him, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “I know, we’re going to work on it, together. Are you going to be okay? If you really want to reschedule we can, but we haven't given Lance much of a notice.” Shiro knew he shouldn't give into Keith’s whims so easily, but he needed to make sure Lance wouldn't be coming into a hostile environment and that Keith would be able to handle the night. 

Keith hesitated on his answer, fighting with himself for a moment before sighing heavily, “No, we should do movie night- it really has been way too long...maybe if I see him it will alleviate some of the stress…” 

“I bet if you ask nicely Lance would give you one of his specialty shoulder and back massages.” Shiro hummed coyly, “He’s very easily bribed with cuddles.” 

Keith smiled just a little, “That would be pretty nice…”

“Let's get up so we can be ready for him.” 

And they had, they waited for half an hour, then an hour, and Lance never showed up. Prompting Keith to first stress out about whether he was hurt or dying somewhere on his way over- before devolving back into the angry state he had been in just a few hours before. 

Shiro had a sinking feeling about the whole situation. The only relief came when he noticed Lance had at least read the message, he hoped that there would be a response, but it didn't come until the next morning.

\---

And now he supposed he knew why. 

Shiro tried calling Lance, the sudden distance suddenly making a lot of sense, along with the reason he had gotten sick. Shiro felt a stab of guilt as he imagined Lance running through the rain upset and hurting. 

He waited on the other end, only Lance didn’t pick up the first time- or the second- or the third. He groaned in frustration, he needed to talk to Lance about picking up the phone even when he was upset. It wasn't fair to either of them to not be able to contact him.  
Shiro just opted to leave him a voicemail.

“Lance, please call me back whenever you can. Keith told me what happened and I need you to know that we’re not breaking up with you. I love you so much and Keith and I really need to speak with you as soon as possible. I’ll be back in town tomorrow morning, please just let me know. Im sorry.”

He kept it there and sunk back into his bed, pushing a hand through his hair and hefting out a long sigh. He knew he should have addressed this sooner- he had seen the bickering starting to get worse, Keith was complaining more about the little things that Lance did and less about just wanting to see him. Lance was getting more distant and they still barely knew anything about his personal life which was making Keith insecure- and he had just sat there, thinking everything would be fine, they could work it out themselves. Obviously that wasn't the case and as much as he loved those two they were a real handful sometimes… but he wouldn't trade them for anyone else in the world. 

His thoughts were interrupted by an alarm going off on his phone.

Shit- he had a meeting in twenty minutes and he definitely was not ready for it. 

\-----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this like a three part chapter but obviously that didnt happen lol


	8. The Second talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Im sorry for the late chapter! Between finishing my first set of classes for the semester and other life events it took nine years to write this chapter. I didnt beta this so- I suppose we die like men ;) 
> 
> Enjoy the boys :D

The world was too bright when he finally greeted it the next morning. His head was throbbing and putting the pieces together from last night was definitely tough, he had a feeling it just involved him dancing and whining incessantly to his friends after he got a few more drinks in him. God he hoped he hadn't been too annoying. 

His eyes felt heavy and he wanted nothing more than to just close his eyes again and sleep off the rest of this hangover. However, the notifications for messages and voicemails had him forcing himself to sit up and actively check them. Of course one was from Keith, apologizing incessantly in a way that was almost worrying. There was also a voicemail from Shiro from that morning. His thumb hesitated over the play button.

The sudden pick up game in his stomach had him wrapping himself up in a blanket and clenching his eyes shut before finally pressing the play button. The wonderfully deep and soothing voice of Shiro had him distracted for a moment before he really processed what he said. 

Shiro loved him- they weren't breaking up- they were going to talk this out with Shiro there. 

The words were swimming in his head, disbelief pushing to the forefront of his mind. Did he really mean that? The way he had said it had been so soft and worried- Lance had stressed him out. He was making things complicated- he could almost guarantee things hadn’t been this bad before he joined the relationship. The two of them probably never even fought at all- they were two halves of a whole and Lance was the piece that was trying to come between them. 

He wasn’t though- came the small voice of hope in the back of his head. Lance decided to humor it for a little while- if for no other reason than to stop the nausea crawling up his throat. Shiro and Keith had both wanted him there, and he knew that they loved him to some degree at least or else they wouldn't be trying so hard to contact him. 

He held his breath and listened to the message again. He loved him, they could work this out. They needed to work this out, both for Lance’s heart, and theirs. He hadn’t been very fair to them, not picking up the phone or responding right away, and he couldn't just excuse himself for being hurt. Keith was a whole other animal- but the only thing he could do there was raise his concerns and try not to go off on him when he saw his (stupidly adorable) face. 

He tried to get up when the room started spinning- and lance decided he would just lay in bed for a little longer. He tapped on Shiro’s number, holding the phone to his ear and biting his lip as it rang. He should be back by now- it was almost noon and he had said he would be here in the morning- so why was the phone still ring-

“Hello? Lance-?”

Oh- he hadn't been expected the immediate ache he would feel when he heard his voice. It is not like it had even been that long since he last talked to him- but the context and the hangover were probably the reason behind the stinging in his eyes. 

He almost couldn’t speak, but he managed a soft, “Hey.”

The response came almost immediately, “Hi- how um, how are you?” 

“I'm okay, I uh, I missed you- miss...you. I just listened to your message, sorry I didn’t respond yesterday. How was the trip?” He choked out, managing to keep it together for the most part. 

“About as good as a business trip could go, pretty boring, but I'm more worried about you. Keith and I spoke and it seems like both of you are dealing with some doubts. I’d really like to work this out as soon as you can see us…”

Both having some doubts huh? Wonder what Keith could be doubting, whether or not he actually wants to deal with Lance? Would he be able to stay with Shiro if that were the case? Would he want to? Probably not, it would hurt too much being with just one and not the other, they were a package deal. 

“Yeah, um Im free tomorrow evening, I can come after work.” He rolled over and closed his eyes, already exhausted by the intrusive thoughts. 

“Oh, yeah, sure thats fine, you sure we can’t do today? I know it's sudden but I was just hoping…”

Lance held in a sigh, he supposed he should have seen that one coming, Shiro was probably right though, better to deal with this now, hangover be damned. “Yeah- actually we can do today, just let me take a shower, I can be over in maybe an hour?”

“Are you sure? I wasn't trying to force you or anything I just-”

“Shiro it's fine. I forgot I wasn’t working today anyways, it's weird having a few days off in a week. Coran still insists that Im working myself too hard too fast. Whatever that means.” Lance laughed in what he hoped sounded more real than it felt. 

It was quiet for a moment and Lance was almost certain Shiro was going to call him on his bluff but then came the melodious sound of Shiro’s gentle laughter and Lance felt the butterflies again. 

“Well he’s right you know, you need to take it easy. Honestly you work yourself too hard as it is in my opinion, but you definitely need to be gentle with yourself after being sick.”

“Hey now, I don’t want to hear mister nine to five telling me that. You literally work the office schedule and bring work home with you sooooooo, bite me.” Lance hummed teasingly. 

“Maybe I will, when you come over.” Shiro responded easily, ending in Lance feeling a little red in the face. And people said he was the flirt! Well wouldn't they like to know. 

“Good one, but thats not going to make me shower any faster sir.” Lance grumbled softly but did begin the process of peeling himself out of bed. “Just make sure Keith is up and at’em, he’s even more grumpy than usual when he first wakes up.” 

There was another pause and Lance was almost certain Shiro was biting his tongue, trying not to nag him about teasing Keith, but if they had really talked yesterday then he knew better than to hit that button right now. 

Lance figured it was better to just end the conversation now before things got awkward, “I’ll text you when I’m heading that way okay? Talk to you then.” 

“Oh! Okay, yeah, see you soon! Bye-”

He pulled the phone away from his ear and tossed it on the bed. It was time to get cracking, hangover be damned, he had shit to do. The easy part was throwing off his clothes and taking his (albeit a bit cold) shower, but then he had to deal with his less than stellar complexion both from last night's excursions and his apparent inability to sleep more than five hours without the help of sickness or his boyfriends warmth. He could deal though, he slapped his cheeks a few times, threw on a clean sweater and a pair of worn jeans before applying a nice face mask to hopefully liven himself up a little. Then it was a quick comb through of the hair and his rose face wash and he was officially ready to go. 

His head was still fighting him but if it got too much he could always ask Shiro for some Excedrin or maybe a nice greasy breakfast depending on how well this conversation went. There wasn’t anything else he needed to do except throw on some shoes and head out, so he shot Shiro the text and was out in the cold crisp mid-morning air. It was certainly the best way to get any leftover sleep out and it actually felt pretty good to walk in this weather. The sun was out and warmed him up just enough to not feel the need to shove his hands quite as deep into his pockets. It was looking up to be a pretty nice day outside if nothing else.

Of course it was halfway through his walk that the thoughts started to tug at him once again. That sinking feeling in his stomach telling him he wasn't good enough for them, that they deserved better- and they did really- but for some reason they chose him.

They wanted to work things out- but what if they couldn't be worked out?

What if Shiro finally realized that he was incredibly annoying? He knew how he could be- but it had been 8 months! They had to be somewhat used to it by now. 

Although Keith’s recent attitude would suggest otherwise. 

Lance curled in on himself a little, he needed to stay strong. He wasn't going to break down this time- and he was probably overthinking it. Shiro would have agreed with him for sure. 

Somewhere in the midst of his thoughts he had made it up the familiar stairs of the apartment and was now staring down the door. He shook off the fog of doubtful thoughts and steeled himself, knocking on the door and holding his breath. 

It felt like an eternity as he heard someone fiddling with the lock and the low voices of none other than his boyfriends behind that closed door. It felt like his fate was standing on ther other side and he supposed in a way it was...maybe not that dramatic though, obviously he would survive if they broke up with him- he just really really didn’t want that to happen.

Then the door opened and there was Keith, Shiro a few steps behind him. He noticed the exhaustion present in Keith’s features, a similar feeling rolling off himself he was sure. Still, he managed a soft smile, even if he was still angry, it hurt to see him like this.

“Hey,” he mumbled softly, scratching the back of his neck uncertainly, as Keith seemed to be processing the simple fact that he was there at all. He was a moment from asking if Keith was okay when there was suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a head buried in his neck.

It took him a moment to process that Keith was actively hugging him. This was definitely unexpected. Once he gathered enough of his wits about him, he noticed that Keith was shaking against him like a leaf. Lance hesitated before finally returning the hug, an ache settling in his chest. The feeling quickly overwhelmed him and he could feel a burning begin behind his eyes. He hadn't realized how much he really needed this until it was happening- and god was it so warm. 

He wasn’t sure how long they were standing there before Shiro gently put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, smiling at Lance, “Hey, we uh missed you. If you couldn't tell that is.” the tall man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Lance looked up at him, eyes a little watery and simply reached out a hand towards him, beckoning him to join the hug. That got him a soft chuckle in response, “how about we continue this inside?” 

Lance glanced to his right and saw a few people looking at them strangely, yeah Shiro was probably right. Long intimate hugs were probably best for inside time. 

He released Keith, albeit a bit begrudgingly only for Keith to maintain his position wrapped around him. Lance looked at Shiro a bit lost as to what to do.

Shiro shrugged and simply pulled the both of them inside, shutting the door, “Keith, use your words.” he hummed softly pulling both of them into a drawn out hug. Lance could smell his aftershave and it sent another wave of aches through him. He knew he was probably supposed to be mad, but right now he just really missed his boyfriends and the hug was very very nice. 

Keith was the first to break away from the hug and clear his throat, looking a bit sheepish, “sorry... I just wanted to apologize...for last time.” Keith looked at him through his bangs and Lance found himself staring at an absolutely adorable face.

He broke eye contact, shrugging, “I appreciate the apology, I can’t say I forgive you yet, not until we talk things out, but...thanks.” He looked over at Shiro and then to the couch, “Why don’t we go ahead and sit?” 

Shiro nodded and took Keith’s hand, leading him over to the couch. Lance took one of the chairs, it was interesting being in this position again. Usually they would all be draped over one another in typical cuddle puddle fashion, but like this it felt like when they had first talked about the potential of the three of them dating. Shiro and Keith, close as ever, with Lance standing off to the side trying to decide if he could even try. He tried not to let it bother him too much, in a way this felt right. 

Lance looked to Shiro and then Keith, unsure if he was supposed to start the conversation or not. 

Thankfully Shiro spoke only a moment later, “Alright, we all know what happened, so let's talk about this properly” He sighed softly. “Lance, tell us what you heard and how you feel.” 

Lance had to swallow the laugh that was about to bubble up. Shiro sounded like a goddamn therapist- still, he would play along. 

“I heard Keith say that I was needy, annoying, and he didn't want me around, and I heard little to nothing out of you.” he said simply, the warmth of the hug already seeping out of him. He could see Keith shrinking a bit on himself but he didn't have the energy to feel vindictive. 

Shiro cringed a little before nodding, “right, and Keith, why don't you explain why you said what you did.” He gently nudged Keith who still looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. 

Finally he looked up at Lance, who met his gaze steadily, and spoke, “I shouldn't have said that- I know why I did it- but that doesn't excuse it. You have every right to be mad. But I said it because I was feeling anxious and insecure. I didn't mean it- it's just, there's still so much you haven’t told us and I'm scared you’re going to disappear one of these days. You already don’t pick up the phone when I try to call you- and we argue all the time-” 

He had Lance’s full attention and understanding right up until that last part. Seriously Keith? Couldn't just apologize without trying to start something- 

“That's because you try to call me right after I’ve been emotionally compromised- and I only argue with you because you attack me first.” Lance leaned forward, squinting at him. 

“Did you seriously just miss the first half of what I said in favor of arguing with me? See this is what I'm talking about! You pull this shit and it makes it really hard to have a conversation with you.”

“Are you really trying to have a conversation? Because coming at me with those accusations is not helping your cause mullet.” 

“Oh name calling now? You act like such a fucking brat all the time! Which speaking of being childish apparently you cant even take care of yourself without one of us around.”

“I can take care of myself thank you- I was doing just fine before I met either of you wasn't I?”

“Barely. At the café- you looked like you hadn't slept in days, your body language screamed exhaustion because you wouldn't take an extra couple of days to recover from being sick- which happened because you ran all the way home in the rain! Without an umbrella-! Which really- who doesn't own one?” Keith was absolutely exasperated at this point, shoving a hand through his hair and musing it up even worse than it had been before. 

“Maybe because I have to pick and choose what I use my money for okay? I don't earn that much- and I again- wasn't exactly anticipating running in the rain.” Lance ground out, venom seeping through every word. 

“Yeah? Is that how you’re going to explain away the fact that you’ve lost weight again?” Keith leaned forward, eyeing him up and down.

“I haven't-” Lance took pause at that though, he wasn’t really certain if he had or not. Eating wasn’t usually a top priority, especially when all he had to look forward to was soup and crackers. “Okay- maybe I have, but things haven’t exactly been fine lately. I was also sick- so, shit happens.”

Keith was about to respond when Shiro interjected, putting a hand on Keith shoulder and catching Lance’s gaze,, “That’s enough you two. Lance we can talk about your self care in a second- but right now I need you two to stop fighting. You both need to learn how to get along, Keith you need to stop baiting him into arguments and Lance you need to learn how to ignore it. Let’s get back on track okay? Keith mentioned feeling insecure right? So Lance, how do you feel about that?” Lance could tell that Shiro was doing his best not to lecture them, he found it in his best interest to simply deescalate and try doing this Shiro’s way because obviously he and Keith were not going to solve this on their own. 

He deflated a bit, the anger seeping back into something more of an ache, “I guess- I mean I feel bad. Obviously. But, I’m not like the two of you. Im not a successful lawyer or running an awesome garage. Im a college dropout who barely scrounges up enough money to live in a shit hole apartment- Im not even close to being in your league. It's embarrassing- and every time I think about inviting you over- or telling you to come hang out sometime I remember what I have and I cant. I just, I cant let you see it. I wasn't trying to make you feel insecure- I definitely wasn't going anywhere- hell, I don't even know how I would ever find anyone who was as perfect as you two are.” He met Keith’s gaze for all of a moment, “I love you, both of you, so much. Thats why it hurts so much to think that I would be a disappointment. It's a lot of pressure and I know I'm doing it to myself, and I'm sorry I keep lashing out at you and not picking up your calls. It's stupid- I just...don’t want to lose you either.” He could feel the burning behind his eyes and willed himself not to cry. He did not need to break down over this. 

Keith’s stance went from rigid and harsh to soft in a few moments. His shoulders sunk back and he glanced up at Shiro who had a similarly vulnerable expression. He made the decision to slip off the couch and knelt by Lance’s seat.

“Lance...you’re not a disappointment- I- Im sorry for jumping to conclusions. But you know we don't care about that stuff right? We want to know where you work or where you live because we want to know more about you. We want to know where you are during the day or night to make sure you’re safe.” he grabbed Lance’s hand and looked up at him through his bangs. Lance was startled to see a similar shine in Keith’s eyes, a vulnerability he never got to see. “I was so scared when you didn't show up to movie night. I thought...I thought maybe you had gotten hurt somewhere or someone had kidnapped you and Shiro and I didn't know the first place to start looking.” He admitted, not once breaking eye contact with him. 

Lance felt the tears slipping down his cheeks before he really understood that he had lost the battle. He was simply caught up looking into Keith’s eyes and really understanding what he meant. “I'm sorry too… It was stupid and petty to not at least answer your texts. I was scared you wanted to break up with me.” he admitted in a watery tone.

Then there was another hand on his back, rubbing softly, he looked up to see Shiro kneeling beside him with a worried smile in place of his usual warm one, “We would never. We love you too much. I think you deserve an apology from me as well. I should have sat you both down to have this conversation instead of pretending it wasn't a problem. You two are very important to me and you should come first.” He sighed softly, his other hand finding purchase on Keith’s hand. 

“Shiro…” Lance started to say before Keith gently interrupted him, “It shouldn't fall on you to always mediate our disagreements. Lance and I should be able to figure it out on our own as well. I also know that's it harder to be on Lance’s side when you have to live with me. So we just need to communicate better.” 

Lance nodded and squeezed Keith’s hand, earning a squeeze in return and a soft smile. 

“Fair enough...so big apologies all around?” Shiro offered, hope shining in his eyes.

Keith and Lance looked at each other for a moment before nodding, “Yeah.”

Next thing Lance knew he was being pulled into a suffocatingly sweet hug from both his boyfriends, Shiro whispering softly, “I think we have some cuddles to make up on.” followed by Keith in the same manner, “And some other things.” 

Lance felt himself shiver against the breath on his ear and he let out a quiet laugh, “I’ll definitely take you up on that…but maybe we leave the second part for later.” He still wasn't quite feeling up those sorts of activities. A lot had just happened and he wasn't entirely sure where he was at feelings wise, being quite overwhelmed by everything. He needed time to sort it out, he knew the discussions were far from over, but at least now he had an idea of why Keith had said what he did, hurtful as it was. Right now though, he just wanted push past it and reset. It had been a month since he had last found himself tucked in the embrace of his boyfriends- and that in of itself was almost overwhelming. 

“I love you..” he mumbled to both of them after a few moments of quiet. 

Keith pressed a kiss to his cheek and Shiro and squeezed him closer, “Love you too Lance.” they hummed nearly in sync in a way that made him laugh softly. 

Things would be okay.


	9. Morning after

Lance woke up sandwiched between Shiro’s stomach and Keith’s chest, arms wrapped around him like he was the most precious thing in the world. It was warm and sweet and god he had missed them so very badly. He was caught in a weird place, being emotionally exhausted from the day(s) prior, topped with the conversation yesterday, and simply physical exhaustion resulting from what he begrudgingly agreed was self neglect.

As much as he would have liked to stay in this wonderful place- he had responsibility to attend to, one of which was work and at the moment he was a bit panicked because he had no idea what time it was. He managed to squirm out from between them with a little effort, managing to not wake either of them which he supposed was a testament to how truly exhausted all of them were. His phone had been unceremoniously tossed onto his jeans that lay crumpled on the floor- a quick check telling him it was a quarter to eight and he felt himself relax slightly. Thank you internal alarm clock. Duty wouldn't call for another couple of hours so he let himself slink back into bed, this time cuddling up against Keith and just taking a moment to really look at him. 

Both of his boyfriends were gorgeous, Keith had wondrously long eyelashes and a porcelain complexion that somehow stayed clear even under the stress and dirt of working as a mechanic. (Lance was a bit jealous of that admittedly) The most at peace he ever saw him was when he was asleep or blissed out after a good fuck. He hummed at the thought and traced his finger down his spine, then his shoulder blades, only pausing for a moment when Keith hummed lowly and shifted. Lance held his breath, pulling his hand away and mumbling a soft apology under his breath. He pressed his forehead against his Keith’s back and began to scroll idly on his phone as he waited for one of them to wake up. It would be a sin to do it himself after all.

Keith didn't leave him waiting long, as a few moments later Lance felt him turn over, a soft yawn escaping his lips as he cracked open violet eyes blearily. The brunette smiled up at him softly, completely enamored by the adorable display. 

“Good morning handsome.” Lance hummed, smoothing a hand up his side and receiving a slight shiver in response. 

“‘Mornin’” came the tired response as Keith reached down and smoothed a hand through his hair. “Cant tell you how nice it is to wake up and see you.” 

Lance’s cheeks warmed up and he leaned into his hand, looking up at him with a very soft expression that had the ravenette’s stomach twisting, “Yeah..I missed you guys, waking up in bed with you especially…” he mumbled. 

Keith’s lips lilted into a small smile, “You know, if you moved in with us we could do this every morning.” he was teasing, although there was definitely some sincerity behind it. 

And god if that look didn't almost tempt him, Lance pouted a little, “You know, I would love to...but I cant-”

Keith sighed and shook his head, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him up so he was resting on top of him, “Yeah, cant fault me for trying- we’ll convince you one of these days.” He pressed a kiss to Lance’s temple. 

“Mmm...maybe…” Lance tilted his head up and grinned a bit himself, “You missed by the way.”

“Oh did I?” the ravenette grinned, knowing exactly what he was up to and deciding to indulge him. 

He closed the distance between them, pressing his lips firmly to Lance’s waiting mouth and holding him in a heated kiss, breaking away only to catch a breath before diving right back in. Lance pulled himself closer and licked across his bottom lip, Keith readily giving him access. He licked up into his mouth, his breathing turning a bit ragged as Keith’s hand slid up his shirt. 

Keith was moments away from flipping him over and taking things a bit further when a soft whistle came from next to them. Lance broke the kiss to find Shiro watching them with his full attention.

“No no, please don't stop on my account. Definitely one of the best ways to wake up in my opinion.” Shiro chuckled and pushed his bangs out of his face.   
Lance laughed breathily, sitting up but not quite getting off of him, “Heyyyy sleeping beauty, I'd rather you join us if you’re up for it.” He shivered again as Keith’s warm hands made themselves known, sliding over his sides and down to his hips. 

“Yeah, we haven't exactly gotten the chance to spend intimate time together in a while.” Keith hummed, winking at him. 

Shiro let out another soft chuckle and shook his head. “As much as I would love that, I do have work this morning. I think breakfast is in order, and maybe we can play a little later.” He ruffled Lance’s hair. 

That got two groans from his boyfriends who begrudgingly separated. A damn shame really. 

“What are we havin?” Keith hummed, an arm wrapped around Lance’s waist, not willing to break all physical contact. 

Lance seemed of a similar sentiment as he tucked his head into the crook of Keith’s shoulder. One would’ve never thought they were at each other's throats the day before. Shiro felt his chest warm at the sight and simply smiled, “How about french toast and bacon? Something hearty for a change.” 

“Ooh what's the occasion?” Lance giggled, all too familiar with Shiro’s tendency to eat fruit and protein shakes every morning. 

“All of us being together again after a month? Mm, just being together is enough of a reason really- and I’m craving some french toast.” Shiro shrugged and pressed a quick kiss to both of their lips before getting up and stretching, receiving a sound of approval from each of them in response. 

“I’ll get started on it, you two can join me if you’d like. Don't have too much fun without me.” He chuckled and winked before heading to the kitchen. 

They watched him go before before Lance started to get up, Keith gently grabbing his arm to stop him, “Hey, um, I know I was joking before, but seriously, think about moving in with us? You know we would love to have you- and don't worry about the money, we can figure something out.” Keith was looking at him shyly, that ever so rare vulnerability shining through as he met his eyes. 

Lance felt his stomach twist and he sighed softly, they had already had this conversation several times over, but damn if they weren’t persistent. He bit his lip and put his hand over Keith’s, “Ill think about it okay? Just, don't hold out too much. You know why I tell you I cant.” 

Keith smiled slightly, “Thinking about it is all I want. Just imagine all the nice morning we could have together~” He let go of Lance’s arm only to stand up and intertwine their fingers. “Are you going to come back here after work?”

“Yeah, I'd like that.” Lance hummed, squeezing Keith's hand as they walked down the hall, the smell of bacon and cinnamon already permeating through the whole apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! wow- i didnt realize its almost been two whole months since I last updated- ahhh I am so sorry! Schools been kicking my ass and its the wonderful holiday season in retail! Anywho- I was wondering if you guys would be interested in me writing an actual full- spicy spicy chapter? I know some people are just here for fluff and hurt comfort- I'd be willing to add it in as a stand alone thing too if that would suit yall better? Just let me know
> 
> And I hope you enjoy! Next chapter should be longer haha.... <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! let me know how you're feeling about this, not entirely certain how often I will update it but hey! Comments help. 
> 
> Also feel free to point out any errors you find, grammar is a big deal to me ;0


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